While the NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series are racing at Rockingham Speedway for Easter weekend, the Cup Series is off for the only time this season. Nine races into the 36-race season, some drivers have been good surprises so far and others have been bad surprises by not delivering on expectations.
With a grueling stretch of races from the series' return at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, April 27 (3 p.m. ET, Fox, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) to the championship race at Phoenix on Nov. 2, here are the good and bad surprises so far in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Good: Josh Berry, No. 21 (Wood Brothers Racing Ford)
Coming into the season, it was hard to know what to expect from Berry. It is only his second full-time season in the Cup Series after driving for the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing during his rookie campaign. It did not take long for him to find success with the famed Wood Brothers by winning the fifth race of the season at Las Vegas.
Even though that is one of only two top 10s this season for Berry, he has led laps in four of the nine races. For comparison, Harrison Burton's win at Daytona last season was his only win in 108 starts with the team and one of only six top 10s during that time. The results have not materialized the last four weeks for Berry, but there is a lot to feel good about heading into the break for the No. 21 team.
Bad: Brad Keselowski, No. 6 (Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford)
This off weekend comes at a great time for the veteran Keselowski after a lackluster start to the 2025 season. Keselowski has not finished better than 11th (Las Vegas) and has yet to lead a single lap. He also has two DNFs already this season compared to only three all of last season.
It has been a big regression for Keselowski after posting nine top fives and 14 top 10s in 2024 and ending his 110-race winless streak at Darlington last May. Perhaps the off weekend can give this team the reset it needs to put the pieces together and establish some momentum coming out of the break.
Good: Ryan Preece, No. 60 (Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford)
This is shaping up to be a career year for Preece in his first season driving for RFK Racing. With previous full-time stints at JTG Daugherty Racing (now Hyak Motorsports) and Stewart-Haas Racing, Preece has settled into his new home rather quickly.
Preece has one top five and three top 10s so far and sits 14th in the points standings. He has already equaled his most top fives in a single season and is two top 10s shy of his personal best of five, which was set in 2024. For someone that has won 25 times in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, the 34-year-old is showing he can have success on multiple types of tracks, regardless of the series.
Bad: Daniel Suarez, No. 99 (Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet)
To be fair, it has not been a great start to the season for the entire Trackhouse Racing organization with Ross Chastain the best of the bunch (11th) and rookie Shane van Gisbergen (34th) in the standings. After leading 200 or more laps in two of the last three seasons and improving his average finish to 17.9 last season, it is surprising to see the two-time Cup Series winner from Monterrey, Mexico at 27th in the standings through nine races.
Other than a runner-up at Las Vegas after leading 12 laps, Suarez has finished no better than 13th (Daytona 500) and failed to lead any more laps. Two DNFs at Atlanta and COTA have certainly not helped either. With only one top five, one top 10 and an average finish of 22.0, Suarez is on pace for a career-worse season. Finding pace is going to be crucial going forward for this team with an average starting position of 26.2.
Good: AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 (Kaulig Racing Chevrolet)
After bouncing around between the Cup and Xfinity Series, Allmendinger has impressed in his first full-time season in the Cup Series since 2023. He has three top 10s and four top 15s so far and currently sits 16th in points. Since engine troubles ended his Daytona 500 prematurely, Allmendinger has finished the last eight races.
Allmendinger had seven top 10s in 2023, so his early results suggest he could surpass those numbers. His average finish (14.9) would be tied for a career-best in the Cup Series as things currently stand. If this team continues to put consistent results together and fly under the radar like it has been, don't be surprised to see Allmendinger in contention for a playoff spot later this season.
Bad: Ty Gibbs, No. 54 (Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
Until Gibbs put back-to-back top 10 results together at Darlington and Bristol, there was not much to be pleased about for the No. 54 team. He did not have a finish better than 13th (Martinsville) with two finishes outside the top 30. Gibbs seemed to be off on pace and could not find any consistency to begin his third season in the Cup Series.
The slow start has been surprising, given he has improved his average finish from 18.4 to 17.4 and led a career-high 417 laps during his sophomore season. Driving for the JGR organization, it was expected those numbers would continue to improve this season. While the start to the season left plenty to be desired, the last two weeks should offer some hope that a turnaround is in store for the No. 54 team.